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Your ideas--Spain August 4-12

After a guided 10 day Art and Wine Tour (Barcelona, Bilbao & Madrid) ending August 4 we have 8 days on our own and are looking for ideas/suggestions.
1) best way to rent a car
2) suggested itineraries considering we will leave Spain from Barcelona and prefer to stay south and east of Madrid
3) definite places include Figueres/Cadaques, Cordova
4) how to avoid lines.
Thanks!

1. Why do you think you need a car?
2.Too difficult for me in such a big country - what do you want from this itinerary? And yes, as above - phew!
3.Fine, but they are a day, apart whatever your transport
4. What do you mean by lines? We may be divided by a common language, but is this to do with road traffic or drugs?

Thank you for your replies. We end our guided tour in Madrid. Although we spent a memorable week in Ibiza in the '70s we are now focusing more on art, architecture and people. We want to drive to enable us to more easily visit small out of the way towns. We understand it will be hot...thanks for the warnings but are committed to this trip. And yes, I did mean Cordoba.

The Veranos de la Villa (Summer in the city) festival goes on in Madrid through July and August. On August 5th, fabulous and unconventional flamenco singer Diana Navarro from Málaga performs in the spectacular outdoor scene in the Sabatini gardens just outside the Royal Palace. Could be one of the highlights of your trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kytOb_x73XQ

"definite places include Figueres/Cadaques, Cordova"
Cadaques to Córdoba is a 2-day drive. 12 hours actual driving on toll roads, plus rest stops, plus a meal break, plus finding your hotel at the end of Day 1, plus time for getting lost on the way.

Since you are flying out of Barcelona, leave the Costa Brava for the end of your trip. From Madrid take the train to Cordoba and back to Madrid. Fly to Barcelona and pick up a rental car at the airport. Tour the Costa Brava, return the car to the airport, and fly home. Enjoy !